In the Heart of Love and War
by laceylolbug
Summary: The Courier was lucky enough to survive a gun shot wound to the head. But will she be lucky enough to survive this journey and deal with her growing feelings for her broken sniper companion?   A series of F!Courier/Boone one-shots.
1. Learning Lessons

This is the first entry into my series of one-shots. And it's my first Fallout fanfic. So go easy on me. I hope you enjoy my writing. I am very excited. I started writing this in Biology class last week instead of taking notes(lol). It took me a while to actually finish and post it cause I kept going over the scene(s) in my mind. I had to make sure they sounded good and were't too dumb. Hope this it turned out ok. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome. ^_^

Anyways, I got the idea for this story from a picture that came across my tumblr dashboard. Although, the story is different from the picture. The story, or any of the one-shots, for that matter have anything to do with Arcade. He does show up in some of them though. But if after seeing this picture, you're thinking you're about to read a Boone/Arcade fic, then you're wrong. I don't write slash. Sorry. I just don't think I would be any good at it.

Edit:/ I tried posting the picture I got the idea from but couldn't get it to work.

Also, I do not own Fallout or any of it's characters.

Anyways, enough with my rambling and on with the story.

* * *

Looking down the scope, the Courier picked out her target. A lone patch of cactus. Her companion stood by watching out of a pair of binoculars to see if she would actually hit her target this time. She pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the ground a few yards in front of her target, throwing up dirt.

"Dammit!" She always missed. She wasn't good with snipping at all. She was more proficient with close range weapons. But her sniper companion insisted on giving her snipping lessons. He thought it would be good of her to be proficient in more than just melee and close range weapons.

She had just shot at the cactus for the tenth time during her lessons and still hadn't gotten anywhere near hitting the stupid plant. She was getting very frustrated. And she would admit, just a little embarrassed. She did want to impress Boone during her lessons, not show him how untalented she was.

Boone.

When she had asked him to join her on her journey back in Novac three months ago, she never expected to feel how she did today. Being with someone pretty much twenty-four seven for three months straight, having him watch her back and hers his, it was only natural for her to fall in love with him. Knowing the story of his wife didn't help either. She was drawn to him and felt the need to comfort him. She was always trying to get him to laugh or even just smile. She knew when to be serious thought. She wasn't always pushing the matter. But it would be nice to see a smile every once in a while instead of that emotionless frown and furrowed brow that seemed to be glued to his face. At first she got nothing from him. Just grunts of annoyance and silence. But after a while, he eased up and started smiling more and even let out a chuckle every once in a while. But then he would go back to sulking. There was also the guilt. How could she let her self fall in love with a guy who just lost the only woman he would ever love? How could she really expect him to love her back? She couldn't. And that's why she wouldn't be telling him how she felt. Ever. Their relationship would be left strictly as a companionship and nothing more.

She was now standing here in a snipers nest where he was helping her. He sighed and brought down his binoculars. "That's the tenth time in a row," he said, stating the obvious. Could she really miss that many times? Really? And not even get just a foot away. This was ridiculous. There was something she was doing wrong.

"I know, thanks. No need to remind me," she snapped. She didn't need him criticizing her like he had been doing most of their time together. Bitter jerk.

"I think you're waiting to long to pull the trigger. once you have your sight set, shoot. Have more confidence in yourself that you will hit the target right then. If you wait too long, the weight of the rifle will start to dip. If you position your arms differently, that may help. Here, let me show you."

With that, he set the binoculars down and stepped behind her. He put his arms around her, putting his hands on her hands and his head close to hers so he could see down the scope as well. The Courier immediately tensed up. _What is he doing?_ Not that she didn't mind. In fact, she was loving the closeness. She just didn't understand how come he wasn't uncomfortable with this. Usually he hated being touched. She remembered giving him a hug when he had saved her from the Legion when they had captured her for those few long hours. He had immediately tensed up and became extremely uncomfortable. But now look what he was doing. Oh well.

He changed the positions of her arms just a little. "If you put your arms like this, then it will be easier to hold the gun up." He moved her so that she was aiming at the same batch of cactus. "Now pull the trigger."

She did and the cactus exploded into hundreds of pieces.

"Now try it again yourself," he said stepping away. She aimed and fired and another batch. It too exploded into a billion pieces. She squealed and jumped up and down. He just chuckled and stepped back some. As she was loading the rifle, Boone asked her a question. "So did you get that chip from Benny? I never asked you when you got home late last night."

"Sure did."

"Heh. Well that sure was a clever way and safe way to go about getting it."

She didn't like his tone. She turned around and looked at him, slightly glaring. "Whats that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

"No I don't. Inform me, Boone. What exactly is it you think I did to get the chip?"

He didn't answer. He just crossed his arms, and turned his head, not looking at her.

Her stare on him hardened. "What? You actually think I slept with him? For a stupid chip?"

"Well from the looks of it, you looked like thats what you were wanting. Then you led him upstairs and didn't get back the suite till pretty late."

She took a step closer. "For your information, Boone, I did what needed to do to get the chip. And that _didn't_ involve sleeping with him. You think I would actually do that? Sleep with the scum bag that shot me in the head? Do you really think that low of me? And why does it matter to you anyways? Why do you care who I sleep with?" She was getting angry now. And slightly hurt. Did he really think of her like that? It wasn't like her at all. She had way better morals than that. He should know that by now.

She continued staring at him, waiting for him to say something. He wouldn't look at her. But after a few minutes, he turned his head so that he was. They just stared at each other for a few minutes. When he didn't say anything, she rolled her eyes and turned around, lifting the gun to her face for more shooting.

He stared at her back for a moment. Why did he care? Why did it matter to him if she did sleep with Benny? He knew she didn't and wouldn't stoop that low to do something like that. He had jumped to conclusions out of what? _Jealousy?_ No. It couldn't be that. Why would he be jealous. He didn't care for her like that. Did he? He couldn't. Not after what happened with Carla. He had swore that he would never love again. He didn't deserve love anyways. All he deserved was to die. His name being said interrupted his thoughts.

"Boone..."

He looked up at the Courier. She was staring out into the desert, her eyes opened as big as they could go. Something was wrong.

"You might want to take a look at this," She said. He could hear the nervousness in her tone. He stepped forward with the binoculars and looked out to where she had the rifle pointed. Thats when he saw them. His jaw tightened. He hated even the sight of them. Three Legionaries just standing there. After a few minutes, they walked around a ridge and disappeared.

"There must be a camp on the other side of that hill. They probably heard our shots. Let's go."

The Courier handed him his rifle and they took off. They quickly got to the hill and quietly climbed up it. When they got to the top, they saw a Legion camp of around one hundred. There were a few slaves locked up in a cage towards the back.

"Ok. You stay here and snipe off as many as you can. I'll go in and fight my way through and set the slaves free. I'll meet you down there soon." With that, the Courier unholstered her hand gun and started to quietly sneak down. She wanted to say something else. The tension of their earlier argument still hung between them. She didn't want that to be their last words to each other if something were to happen to one of them. But she just kept walking. And boy would she regret it.

Boone stood there in the middle of quiet camp. They had cleared it out and set the slaves free. Dead Legionaries were scattered all over the bloody sand. But where was the Courier. He had found the beret he had given her lying on the ground but there was no sign of her. He was getting worried and was about to start calling for her when he thought he heard a faint cry of his name.

"Boone.."

It was quiet. He wasn't sure if he was just hearing things or not. But then he heard it again.

"Boone." He immediately recognized that as the Couriers voice and rushed towards it. He came around a tent to find her laying, propped up against it. She had her hands over a spot on her lower left abdomen. Her legs looked all twisted and messed up as well. She had blood coming out of her mouth and she looked like she was going to pass out any minute now.

"Shit." He took the few steps towards her and dropped to his knees. "What happened? What did they do to you?" She tried to answer but ended up just coughing, more blood coming up as she did. He gently lifted her hands to see a nice bullet wound and lots of blood. He shut his eyes not wanting to believe it.

She finally spoke up, but was barely audible, "They also...broke my legs...Said they didn't...want me...running for help."

He looked down at her legs again. Yep. They were most definitely broken. He immediately started digging through the pockets of her cargo pants and jacket. She must have known what he was looking for. "Boone...I don't have any stimpacks."

Well crap. He didn't either. He knew what he had to do. He had to get her back to the Lucky 38 where Arcade was. They were pretty close. Maybe she could make it. He quickly pulled his shirt off and pressed it against her bullet wound. He then gently took her jacket off and tied it around her abdomen to help hold his shirt onto her. He wanted to stop the bleeding as much as possible until they could get back. He then went to pick her up. Thats when she cried out in pain. "AHH MY LEGS STOP!"

She had given up being tough. Up till now, she was doing a good job. Not now. He didn't blame her. She was in bad shape. But he had to get her back. He wasn't going to let his happen again. He wasn't going to lose someone close to him. Not her. "We have to get you back to Arcade. Just hold on. The pain will only last a few seconds while I pick you up." He lifted her arms to where they were around his shoulders. He then picked her up bridal style. She cried out again but once he stood up and started walking, she calmed down some. He then set off for the Strip.

She just hung there in his arms thinking. She knew this would happen. She knew that one of them would die before she got the chance to tell them. She just knew that their last exchange of words was going to be something hurtful. No. She wasn't going to let that happen. She still had time. "Boone?"

He looked down at her face. "Hm?"

"I love you."

Everything then went black.

* * *

Don't worry. There will be more. I will be writing different one-shots from different times during their journey together.

Night!


	2. I've Got Troubled Thoughts

Here is the second addition to my series. I know it's not much. I kind of rushed through this one. But I really wanted to get another part out. I really wanted to get into Boone's thoughts as she talked to Benny.

And the first part is kind of dumb, but I was remembering the other day how my dog use to do that when I lived at home so I decided to add it. Enjoy!

And remember, REVIEWS!

* * *

The Courier sat, soaking in a tub of nice warm water in the Presidential Suit. It was so nice to be able to wash all the dirt and grime from the desert off. She looked over at Rex who was lying on the floor a few feet from the tub. He followed her everywhere she went and insisted on following her into the bathroom. When she had shut the door, he had whined and scratched at the door. She figured she would let him in. It's not like he was going to be looking or anything. He was just a dog.

"Are you glad to be relaxing for a few days, boy?" She asked the dog. In return, he perked his ears and tilted his head.

"Me too." With that, the Courier leaned back, dipping her head under water to wash her hair. She decided to just lay back for second and enjoy herself. All of a sudden Rex's head popped over the edge of the tub and looked at her wondering what she was doing. The Courier just giggled. He then proceeded to lick her all over her face.

"HAAHHA! REX! Stooop!" She pushed his head away and sat up. He just starred at her. There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" She called. She heard Boone's voice on the other end but could not understand a word he was saying.

"What?" Still couldn't understand him. "Boone, I can't understand a word you're saying. You can come in. The curtain is closed." Whatever it was he was trying to tell her, it couldn't wait?

After a few seconds she heard the door open. "What I was saying was I was doing some thinking on what you said..." Boone started. The Courier patiently waited for him to continue. "About Bitter Springs. Maybe going back there would help. At least a little bit maybe."

"Good! I'm glad you've thought about it and decided to go. When would you like to go?" she asked.

"When would you like to go?"

"It doesn't matter. I would like to rest some tomorrow. Take a day off you know? Plus I have plans tonight. Don't know how that will go."

"Plans?" Boone was curious. He didn't think they had made any plans. He also didn't think she really knew anyone to be going out.

"Yep. I want to go talk to Benny at the Tops. has been hounding me about getting that chip." She was getting really anxious about talking to Benny. One, she wanted to show him that he did not succeed at killing her. And two, she really wanted that damn chip. She wasn't sure yet if she was going to hand back over to but she knew for sure that she didn't want it in the hands of a man like Benny. She heard the door shut and knew Boone had left the room. She thought about what he had said. She was glad that he was actually wanting to go back to Bitter Springs. She knew, or at least hoped, that it would make him feel better. Maybe seeing the place once more as it was today and not some bloodied massacre of dead women and children would be a good closure. But again, she only hoped. She still wasn't for sure what it would do for him. But it was worth a try.

She finished cleaning up. Washing her hair, shaving, all that jazz. After a bit, she was standing in front of her wardrobe trying to find the right dress. She finally decided on a simple pre-war red dress. It dipped down to show the perfect amount of cleavage and was high enough to show the perfect amount of leg. She finished her hair and makeup, slipped on some heals and stepped out of the master bedroom. Boone, who was sitting the hall waiting, looked up at her. He starred at her for a moment before he finally spoke. "I thought we were going to talk to Benny."

"We are."

"Looking like that?"

The Courier rolled her eyes. "Yeah. If I want to get what I'm after, I need to make a good impression."

"There are other ways to make good impressions."

Why was he making such big deal out of this? She was just going to talk to Benny. And she thought that showing some skin would help her get what she wanted. "Are you ready to go or not?" She asked Boone, trying to get him to drop the subject.

He stood up and followed her to the elevator without saying another word.

When they walked into the Tops, the men at the door made them hand over their weapons. The courier told Boone of her plans and pointed out Benny. She instructed that he stay put and just keep an eye out for her safety just incase something were to go wrong. But if she were to not be back at the front desk in an hour, he was to just head back to the Lucky 38. She also informed him of the pistol she had strapped to her upper thigh and that she would probably be just fine.

He watched her saunter over to Benny, lightly swinging her hips. He saw the surprise, and slightly frightened, look that Benny made when he saw the Courier step up to him. Benny's lips moved quickly, trying to sweet talk her and get her to calm down. After a few minutes, Boone watched she stepped up to Benny and run her hand down his chest. She grabbed the collar of his checkered jacket and pulled him closer, whispering something in his ear. Benny's expression turned from fear to lust. What was she doing? They duo then turned and started walking towards the elevator. The Courier never turned back to give Boone a look or anything letting him know what was going on. Was she really headed up to sleep with him? He didn't want to assume that. Not just yet. But it bothered him. The way she toyed with Benny and the look he gave her. It bothered him even more when the two left, headed to what Boone could only assume was a hotel room. Why was it bothering him so much? Here he was, once again, thinking too much into things. Here he was again letting something that the Courier was doing bother him. Something that really should have been none of his business.

After an hour, she still hadn't returned to him. Reluctantly he left the Tops and headed back to their suite.

The Courier stood over Benny's passed out form. Taken him long enough. She had been sitting in his suite with him drinking. Well she just pretend to drink while he did. She was waiting for him to get drunk enough. Drunk enough that if she smooth talked him, said the right words, maybe he would hand over the chip. Give her exactly what she wanted.

"Well you know what I would really like, Benny?" She asked while sitting in his lap and kissing his kneck. "I would really like that chip that you took from me so long ago."

She had promised him that she would be back. Give him whatever it was he wanted while being sober. She promised that she wouldn't be giving the chip to and that Benny would for sure be getting anything in Vegas that he wanted. Pffffshhh. Dumb guy. Actually believed everything she said. Guess getting him drunk enough really worked. She knew that he probably would be confused when he woke up sober thought. Confused at where the chip went or either confused at why he was stupid enough to just hand it over to her. He would probably want to talk to her later, wondering where the hell the chip was or just demanding that she give it back. She would think of what to do and say if that were to happen later. Right now, all she wanted was to get our of here. She stuffed the chip into her bra before leaving the Tops and heading back to her room. When she got back, it was three am and she was exhausted. She sure was glad to be having the next day off to just relax. At least for a day. Then after that, it would be time to head off on a journey that would hopefully help her sniper friend.

Boone was still awake when she got home. He heard her come out of the elevator and head to her room but didn't bother to get up and say anything. Why was it his business anyways? If she wanted to come home at three am then she had every right to. But he couldn't help but wonder what it was she was doing with Benny into the wee hours of the morning. He knew from the moment she stepped out of her room, looking amazing like shed did, that she was up to something. And there was only one thing he could really think of. The way she was dressed, the way she walked up to Benny and the way she looked at him and touched him. This bothered Boone. Why would she sleep with the man that shot her in the head? Yeah, she wanted to chip but sleeping with him? Really? But the thing is, all of it didn't exactly mean she did sleep with him. She could have just been flirting just to get what she wanted like she had said when the left earlier that evening. But Boone still couldn't help but wonder. He also thought back to earlier that day when he was talking to her while she bathed. Yeah the curtain to the stall was closed but he had tried so hard to not let his mind wonder as he thought of her sitting in the bathtub naked. He shook his head still frustrated with himself for thinking these thoughts. He still didn't know why he was letting himself think all these things. Three months ago, when they had met, he could have cared less about any of it. But now look at him.

He laid back down onto his bed, trying to get the thoughts of the Courier out of his mind while he went to sleep. Of course, he was unsuccessful. Tonight he didn't dream of Bitter Springs or Carler. The Courier would be the one to haunt his dream's tonight.

* * *

ehhhh. better ones to come.


	3. UPDATE

Oh my gosh! I totally forgot I had this account! By looking at the date, I joined and posted the stories right before all the shit went down with my ex and I. And then I became super super close with a close friend right after that and was just off in lala land and just forgot about this. Whoops! But I was trying to make an account tonight so I could follow some stories and my username was taken! That cant be! Its never taken. I'm the only one who ever uses this. Well I searched and there I was! It all came back to me. I reread the one-shots I wrote. I actually liked them! Normally I go back and reread my writing way down the road and think, "What was I thinking!?" But I actually enjoyed what I wrote! I may continue them! I haven't played Fallout in over a year. So I will have to some messing around and get refreshed on everything. So yes. I MAY add to my Fallout one shots. I also may write some Doctor Who stories. I haven't decided yet. So keep posted peeps!


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